105

I.—ll

to applicants, and greatly hinder any dealings with such lands ; while clause 33 waa inserted to faciliate prompt dealings with small applications. Such delays will be made a public grievance if it thus becomes impossible for the company to meet the natural demands of settlement by dealing with lands under this clause. The difficulty may be avoided by the Government authorising the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the district to give its assent at the same time as he makes the assessment; and I have the honour to suggest that you should oause such a course to be adopted. I have, &c, For the New Zealand Midland Eailway Company (Limited), Robert Wilson, Engineer-in-Chief and General Manager. The Hon. the Minister for Public Works, Wellington. This letter begins a series in which the company again and again try to remove obstacles to settlement. Here is the reply : — The Hon. the Minister for Public Works to the General Manager, Midland Railway Company. Sir,— Public Works Office, Wellington, 29th August, 1890. Re Midland Railway: Land Selection. —In reply to your letters of the 23rd June and 4th ultimo on the subject of the procedure to be adopted in effecting sales or leases of land under clause 33 of the Midland Railway oontract, and applying for authority to lease certain land to Messrs. Morris and Watson and party under the provisions of the clause referred to, I have the honour to inform you that this matter has received very careful consideration. The Government is, however, advised that, although clause 33 provides a special mode of dealing with the lands on the western side of tho mountain-range, it does not shut out the provisions of clause 29, and that the usual notification under the latter clause must be made in all cases. The Government is further advised that th6re is no power which would authorise a Minister to delegate his functions in this matter to the Commissioner of Crown Lands. With regard to the application of Messrs. Morris and Watson and party for the land referred to in your letter of the 4th ultimo, I regret to have to state that, as the land in question is partially auriferous, and in the opinion of the Governor is likely to be required for bond fide mining purposes, and the several purposes conneoted therewith or incidental or oonducive thereto, it oomes within the exceptions speoified in clause 16 of the contract, and I have, therefore, to object to its being dealt with as desired. I may add that steps will be taken to set apart and define such lands by Proclamation as required by the oontraot. . I have, &c, T. Fergus, Minister for Public Works. R. Wilson, Esq., Ganeral Manager, New Zealand Midland Railway, Christchuroh. This is the beginning of the impediments put in the way of settlement. But listen to a still more strongly worded appeal to the Government to avoid delay and co-operate with the company in facilitating settlement;— The General Manager, Midland Railway Company, to the Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Sijj > New Zealand Midland Railway Company (Limited), 9th September, 1890. In reply to your letter of the 29th ultimo, while not concurring in the opinion that a reference to the Minister under clause 29 of the contract is neoessary in cases of dealing with lands under clause 33, I have the honour to point out that my suggestion was not that the Minister should delegate his functions under the contract to any officer, but merely that he should instruct the Commissioner of Crown Lands (whose duty it is, as already arranged, to assess the value of all lands to be dealt with under olause 33) to advise the Minister at the same time whether there is any oause for his objecting to the particular land applied for being dealt with, and that the request of the company for an assessment of the land shall be sufficient notification to the Minister under clause 29, assuming that he be entitled to suoh notice. By this means much loss of time and inconvenience to applicants would be avoided, as, if necessary, the whole two months would have to elapse should the Minister, or the Commissioner of Crown Lands on his behalf, not earlier notify his agreeing to the company's dealing with the particular land ; but if the notification thus came to the Minister, through the Commissioner of Crown Lands, whom I presume to be the official land officer, and who is oonsulted on all land matters in connection with his district, I imagine that the Minister could consent or otherwise to particular pieces of land being dealt with in much less time than two months. Already applications have to be advertised for a month, and it would seem possible, immediately that time expired, to ascertain, in the majority of oases, whether there is any need for delay. Should it be necessary to make further inquiries in particular oases, further time oould, of course, be taken up to the two months or longer, if necessary, by arrangement with the company. Shortly after the signing of the Midland Railway contract, 1888, an arrangement was come to with Ministers that the company should communicate direct with the Commissioners of Crown Lands on these subjects, expressly to save the delays which the exigenoiee of the post and other causes would oreate if. a referonce to the Minister was necessary in all cases. In the past, owing to the peculiar difficulties of the situation, there has been among the inhabitants of the district concerned considerable dissatisfaction with the delay in dealing with the lauds, and for this they have blamed the company; but it is becoming known that now and for the future the delays do not rest with the company. In making such a suggestion the company is not asking the Minister to delegate his funotions, but merely to exeoute those functions through come officer, with whom the company, to save time, can be in direct communication, the Minister obviously being unable to attend to all detail matters personally. The company's chief wish and interest is io assist in every possible way the spread of settlement within its area by giving every facility, within the rights of the Government and the company, for carrying out speedily sales to all applicants, and I have no doubt that the Government equally wish to assist in such a desirable objeot. I have, &0., For the New Zealand Midland Railway Company (Limited), Robert Wilson, Engineer-in-Chief and General Manager. The Hon. the Minister for Public Works, Wellington. Now, the tone and purport of that letter shows how anxious the company was to foster and promote settlement, and we will see how the Crown assisted this aim ; but, first, take another letter from the company:— The General Manager, Midland Railway Company, to the Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Sir, New Zealand Midland Company (Limited), Ohristchuroh, 15th September, 1890. Referring further to your letter of the 29th ultimo, and mine of the 9th instant in reply thereto, as the oompany does not wish to oause delay in dealing with any western lands under clause 33, but is anxious to assist settlement, I have now the honour to enclose a list of 209 applications wbioh the oompany wishes to deal with at the earliest possible date. Some of these have been assessed by the Commissioner of Crown Lands,"others have been sent for assessment, but are not yet returned. This list is forwarded without prejudice to the question as to whether it is compulsory for the company to refer the applications to the Minister, under clause 29 of the contract. 14—1. 11.